


always like this

by destinae



Series: Moments in Love [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, allusion to sex, newt bein real tinie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 12:41:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14081175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destinae/pseuds/destinae
Summary: hermann has to pull a late night at the lab, and newt gets anxious waiting for him.





	always like this

Newt had always been the more emotionally needy of the two of them. Given their workplace relationship, it was no wonder that Newt had an insatiable need for affection and attention from Hermann. Their love was never in doubt, in Newt's eyes-- they'd known each other too long for Newt to think that Hermann's detail-oriented and strict approach to his work was somehow an attack on Newt's more  _eclectic_ disposition. That said, there was something very spiritually cleansing about coming home to a loved one, curling up next to them, and talking all about how much you hate your bosses. 

 

Their schedules had adopted a fairly regular routine: Newt was always home first, so he was the one that would make the home welcoming. He was the one that would turn on the TV-- something that didn't ask too much of the mind, usually some banal reality TV that was enough to provide a soundtrack for the two of them, but substantial enough that it gave him something to joke to Hermann about if the conversation ever became idle. It was Newt that would finally change out of his always-stained work clothes and into something that fit him  _better_ : a vintage Atari t shirt and sweatpants that he'd had since ( probably ) college, then pour himself something palate-able ( wine for the good days, a Moscow mule for the bad ones ) and sit down and let himself soak in the feeling of being  _alone_ for the first time all day.

 

What was  _supposed_ to happen next was simple: Hermann would come home about thirty-to-sixty minutes after Newt did, drop his jacket on the counter with a flourish, and probably say something about glad he was that that he wasn't going to have to explain basic Kaiju behavioral patterns to someone for another thirteen hours. He'd see Newt looking relaxed and probably have one of those half-smiles, foregoing the idea of changing out of his clothes from the day, sitting down next to Newt and taking his hand, asking him how he's feeling, checking in, listening to his madness that unravelled as soon as it left his mouth.

 

It wasn't ever something visceral. Hermann didn't run in the door and tear off his shirt and fly into Newt's arms and spend the evening, working up the kind of sweat that took an  _extra_ long shower to wash off. It was something private and sincere, something that wasn't sexual, but was cathartic in its own right. It was the kind of thing that reminded that they didn't heed to  _take_ one another to  _have_ one another. It was those nights between long days' work where they held hands and spoke in soothed tones, keying into a deeper understanding of one another that they didn't call upon in their work-- it was  **those** nights where something bigger than the two of them was nurtured.

 

Tonight, however, was not one of those nights. An hour and a half after Newt had gotten home, Hermann was still absent. He wasn't  _missing_ , mind you. Newt knew  **exactly** were Hermann was, and that only made it worse-- **somehow**. Before Newt had left the lab, Hermann had pulled him aside, first by the wrist, then his hand slipping down to intertwine fingers with Newt. He said that he had some meeting with Pentecost that  _couldn't wait_. With a squeeze of Newt's hand, he'd told him he'd be home late, and not to wait up for him .

 

So, of course, Newt waited up for him. He put in his (  _subtitled, mind you_ ) copy of Godzilla ( the original ,  _mind you x2_ ), and curled up with a cup of chai tea. He wasn't usually a tea person, but at times like this, it was the only thing standing between Newt and insurmountable stress. Did he worry about Hermann? Yes. Did he show Hermann how much he worried? Not once. Newt kept as much of his neurosis to himself as possible-- not because it was invalid, but because Hermann always looked like he was one more worrisome frown away from imploding. Newt could handle himself.

 

About an hour and a half, Newt had made the inevitable shift from  _alone_ to  _lonely._  That was when Newt noticed that Hermann had left his massive green jacket behind that day, and had immediately wrapped himself in it like some kind of emotionally crippled butterfly waiting for itself to begin a metamorphosis into a man with greater emotional endurance. That didn't happen, however. In fact, the only thing that Newt metamorphosed into was a man that was  _asleep_ , crashing on the sofa with a quickly-cooling cup of barely-touched chai coffee, and the ( original language,  _mind you x3_ ) Godzilla film playing in the background. The credits were rolling when Hermann arrived home.

 

Newt woke up to the feeling of Hermann pressing a kiss to his temple. There was a moment of panic, and then a deep exhale. "Hermann." He said, more of a sigh than a statement.

 

"I told you not to wait." Hermann said, a fondness in his tone betraying any attempt that he might've been making at scolding Newt.

 

"You know how bad I am at doing what I'm told." Newt said with a smile, looking up at Hermann, one hand reaching out from the all-enveloping coat to cup the back of the man's head, pulling him in for a brief kiss. "What time is it?"

 

"Late." Hermann responded, his free hand moving to gently pull Newt's away. "Come on, get to bed, Newton."

 

A pause, and Newt sat up, pulling Hermann's coat around him as if it were a blanket. "Fine. Bossy." He muttered, rising to his feet and slowly beginning to shuffle towards the bedroom. "How was the meeting?" Newt asked, before flopping down on their shared bed face-down.

 

"It went as well as you might have expected." Hermann replied, a tone of disdain apparent in the answer.

 

"Oh." Newt replied, finally shrugging off Hermann's coat, letting it fall limply to the floor as he moved under the sheets. "I'm sorry."

 

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Newt." Hermann replied calmly.

 

A few minutes later, they were curled up in the bed together. Hermann slept with his back to Newt, but that didn't discourage Newt from curling up behind him, one arm around Hermann's waist, the other underneath the pillow. They fell asleep like that, in sync and in silence, and it was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> this was a lot shorter than i expected but i think it's sweet enough that you should still consult your dentist after reading it 
> 
> @kaijufucker666 on twitter.


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